Increase MGHZ...?

[mseb]

I have a G4 533mgz, and I would like to encrease Mgz up to 1.2 Ghz with an additionnal card such as Fastmac, Crescendo.

Are there some people who know these products and can confirm that they realy increase mhz of my computer?

Thanks in advance

 

[AssassinOfGates]

They do increase your megahertz, but you are stuck with the same ram, same motherboard, same everything else. Most of the time it's better to just get a new system.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

look at the mercury extreme 1.4 or giga designs 1.4. they will jump your performance a lot in that 533. In fact i have my 1.4 merc extreme up for sale since my valentine has promised to get me a G5.
(edit) only asking $400. for a 1.4 owc. perfect to increase a quicksilver or D.A. model. has 2MB of L3. framerates went up big time from my 733.

 

[sonofslim]

well, you're not stuck with the same RAM unless you're already maxed out, and if you're maxed out and you still don't have enough RAM then yes, it is time to get a new computer. if your machine is way out of date, sure; putting a 1.2ghz processor inside would be overkill -- you'd still be crippled by the rest of the system.

but if your machine is relatively recent, a processor can make a world of difference, for a fraction of the cost of a new system.

just be sure to do your homework before you buy a new processor -- you're better off spending a little more on a well-reviewed manufacturer. some cheaper 3rd party processors are prone to serious issues.

edit: just saw DontHurtMe's post. those two brands are worth looking into, as is Sonnet.

 

[Achtung_U2]

Go to: http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/g4reviews.html

There is more info there than you could ever even use on this subject. Personally, i researched there heavily for a couple of weeks before buying. In the upgrade section, there are also links to the best and cheapest vendor for buying the Giga. Not certain, but I think it was:

Other World Computing: http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Page.cfm?Parent=234&Title=1&Template=1 best price and arrived overnite.

Stick with Giga Designs 1.4 http://www.gigadesigns.com/
Very high quality and huge gains in performance.

Good luck

 

[mseb]

Gigadesigns good products?

A friend told me that Gigadesigns produced good cards.

Did somebody already by Gigadesign card? Are you happy?

 

[Ewen Cameron]

I got a giga designs 1.47 mhz upgrade card about 4 days ago for my Quicksilver 733. It cost $539 from OWC computing and another $35 to get it shipped to the UK.

The card works great and was simple to install with a full set of instructions. I have been using it continually for the last few days without a hitch and it is much faster than before.

If I was you I would go for the 1.4 version which is slightly cheaper and made for your Mac with a slightly slower bus speed.

I also got a Radeon 9000 pro which helped speed up Halo.

 

[sonofslim]

a lot of G4 cube owners end up upgrading their processors, and giga is one of the vendors they go to. check out http://www.cubeowner.com for reviews and info on various processor upgrades. not all of the info may be relevant to your system, as the site is specific to the cube, but it might be a good place to start.

 

[Ewen Cameron]

I thought I would let you know that the same card (Giga Designs 1.47mhz) bought in the UK would have cost me about $820.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I got to mention this for the OWC Mercury Extreme. Its been a very good card. has jumpers so its easy to run at any speed and is plug and play. All the test i have seen puts it neck and neck with the Giga. Only reason i may get rid of it is because my 800 G4 is still more then my wife will ever use. Her 500 imac is plenty.I would tell anyone with DA get one, the Quicksilvers-I get one. I am FPS Speed freak and am going for a Doom3 G5 killermachineHeres a great place to view benches http://www.macsales.com/upgrades anyone thinking about upgrades should check that site out.

 

[DrBoar]

GigaDesign 1.2 GHz in a G4/400 with 640 MB RAM and a ATI 8500 card. Huge boost in performance OS X now feels so good and UT2003 that wass horribe now is fun, go for it!

I am very pleased with the CPU, if it had a bit larger heatsink and slower fan it would be perfect!

 

[keysersoze]

Are there software compatibility issues when upgrading a processor card? I've read that "Software A won't work with upgrade cards" etc. Does anyone find this to be true or is it just that they aren't supported?

For instance: Could you upgrade from the Quicksilver previously talked about, to the 1.2 Ghz Giga and still expect to run Panther and all other software?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I wouldn't want to buy a $400 card that wouldn't allow me to use all the same programs....

 

[DrBoar]

There are no drivers for the upgrade cards and no problems with applications that does not work.